Mel Kientz sends this along:

 …the dean of magic

By Allan R. Ellenberger

John Calvert's magical life captured in new documentary

On Dec. 10, the documentary, "John Calvert: His Magic and Adventures," appeared on DVD, not out of thin air, but through the laborious efforts of the masterful magician's nephew, Fred Calvert, over the past nine years.

Samuel Patrick Smith, executive editor of The Linking Ring, interviewed Fred Calvert about the project and learned how the film producer and director tried for the past two years to finish the project, but he was not satisfied with any of the results. So, he pressed on until he had a product worthy of his uncle's famed life.
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Holiday magic

Photo by: Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Tom Anderson replaced an elf who had fallen off a spinning ladder in his
Santa's Workshop display Monday night. He conceived and built the display himself.

Here is an interesting story on Joshua Lozoff appearing at the Siena Hotel. Inspired by the beauty of Italy, The Siena Hotel - located in beautiful Chapel Hill North Carolina, will captivate you with its elegance. A Four Diamond hotel and restaurant recipient since 1987, this luxury boutique hotel adds its distinctive European character to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area.

Extraordinary Oddities

Ricky Jay offers a ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ of eccentric entertainers in new L.A. show.

By Tom Teicholz